


Planning

by Diaphenia



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-13
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2018-10-20 13:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10663479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diaphenia/pseuds/Diaphenia
Summary: Leslie assumes the Parks Department will throw its own Christmas party this year





	Planning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lizinstereo](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=lizinstereo).



> LJ Import
> 
> **Original Author's note:** I set out to pinch-hit for lizinstereo, since her Christmas exchange author had to bail. Then I proceeded to take forever and a day. BUT! I did get this out before my Christmas cards, which should get to everyone sometime in May.
> 
> Thanks to stiffleaves for the beta, an americnxidiot or the brainstorming.

“Do we have good parties anymore?” April asked, looking annoyed. “Are we going to slaughter a bunny at this one?”  
  
“People don’t eat bunnies,” Andy said, slinging his arm around his wife.  
  
“Son—” Ron started, but he was cut off from a slight head-shake from April.  
  
Leslie smiled wide, hoping enthusiasm would cover the long list of sins committed here in the name of the annual Parks Department Christmas Extravaganza, which was neither extravagant nor officially sanctioned by the local government, which was already facing several religion-based lawsuits.  
  
Between the new house, the old house, the new job, the old job, and the wedding Ann kept insisting she needed to make decisions on, Leslie just hadn’t had the time to plan the party.  
  
She’d thought the department would step up in her absence, but that clearly had no intention of doing so. April had been in charge of the food, which explained why there was none.  
  
The decorations weren’t much better. Beautiful panda muse Ann Perkins had been left in charge, and despite protests that she “wasn’t a member of the Parks department” or “a full-time employee” or “able to do this right now, Leslie,” Leslie had depended on her. And Ann had failed. She’d strung up some lights and hung some tinsel, but it was hardly a winter wonderland.  
  
Tom had been in charge of music, but instead of familiar Christmas carols, the music coming out of the probably very expensive speakers was some sort of dubstep nightmare. At least, that’s what April had called it.  
  
And Jerry. Ugh.  
  
“This is what you guys put together?”  
  
Donna spoke. “I think it’s nice no one put in too much effort. Means we don’t have to get too excited about anything.”  
  
Leslie checked the list in her head for everything she had to do today. The party was already supposed to have started, and go till nine. Then clean-up till ten, home by ten thirty. Unpack at least one box tonight. Then she had the Camp Athena budget to look over, and Christmas cards to finish writing. She had to research wedding caterers; people whose food would make both Chris and Ron happy, and still be affordable.  
  
She didn’t want to fix this party too.  
  
“I’m going to go to my office, not to cry,” she said, and ran out of there before anyone could speak.  
  
She threw herself into budget-planning, because tiny campers didn’t care if her friends threw terrible parties.  
  
Half an hour later, Andy knocked on her door. “Leslie, are you in there?”  
  
She didn’t respond.  
  
“Ok, I guess I’m just going to go,” Andy said. A moment later she heard a loud THUD! and when she opened the door, she saw him on the floor, in a fetal position, cradling his shoulder.  
  
“What’re you doing?” she asked, kneeling next to him to rub his shoulder.  
  
“Just trying to open the door, using my soon-to-be cop skills,” he said. “And I got you to open it, didn’t I?” He winced as he sat up, grabbing his shoulder again.  
  
“I’m not coming back to the party, if that’s what this is about.”  
  
“It isn’t.”  
  
“Great.”  
  
“Or _is it_? Because that’s actually why I’m here.”  
  
“I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on,” she said.  
  
“Leslie, you should never let paper come between you and a party.”  
  
“Weddings don’t plan themselves. Or summer camps.”  
  
“If you don’t come back, April says I’m sleeping on the couch with Champion. Which would be fine because we don’t actually have sheets right now because I used our only set to try to make a hot air balloon. It didn’t work. Come on, it’ll be fun.”  
  
“It’s a disaster in there.”  
  
Andy grabbed her arm, and gave her a puppy-dog grin. “No, we’ve got everything perfect now.”  
  
She followed him back to the Parks department. As she pushed through the double doors, she expected to see a department transformed, with fantastic decorations, incredible food, and maybe one of those tiny Christmas trains.  
  
What she saw was exactly what she had left, except now there was a stack of pizza boxes in the corner.  
  
She wanted to say something, but she looked around the room. Ann was deep in conversation with Donna. Tom was showing Jerry pictures on his cell phone. Ron was eating pizza and ignoring April, who was texting. And Andy looked so very proud of this tiny, terrible party.  
  
“But there’s no Christmas trains,” Leslie said, dismayed.  
  
“That’s good, because trains should stay on their tracks, Leslie. Although that would be awesome, if one came through here,” Andy said. “Besides, we have everything here. Food. Tinsel. Christmas music, sort of. And each other.”  
  
Leslie walked over to the stereo system and turned off the iPod, and turned on the radio to 92.3 WLEX, which was all holiday music, all the time.  
  
“Hey, that’s not the music I picked out,” Tom yelled across the room.  
  
“The music you like is noise,” Ron said.  
  
“Tommy Tunes are cool. You guys aren’t cool,” Tom said mildly, before turning back to his phone.  
  
“Shut up,” April said. “You too, Ann.”  
  
Ann’s forehead crinkled in confusion, before going back to her conversation.  
  
Donna called over to her, “Leslie, come here and explain to Skinny McGee that she’s wrong about Bradley Cooper.”  
  
“And then come over here so we can talk about presents to buy for Ben that’ll improve him. I’m thinking cuff links to go with a better suit,” Tom said.  
  
“I’ll be in my office,” Ron said.  
  
Leslie smiled as she settled in.  
  
A party was a party, after all.


End file.
